FCC to hold hearing on net neutrality

By eSchool News

February 25th, 2008

The high-profile squabble over Comcast’s slowdown of BitTorrent file-sharing traffic–and broader questions of network handling by internet service providers–are set for public scrutiny at a Feb. 25 hearing, CNET reports. The hearing, to be held in a Harvard Law School courtroom by the Federal Communications Commission, is an outgrowth of the agency’s recently launched inquiry into what constitutes "reasonable" network management practices by internet service providers. "What we’re going to see on Monday is a trial of the internet," said Columbia Law School Professor Tim Wu, who has written extensively in favor of net neutrality regulations and is slated to speak on the panel. "Comcast is in the docket, accused of crimes against the public interest, and we’ll see how well they are able to defend themselves."